The verdicts in South American World Cup Qualifying have all been handed down. The four direct tickets to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar were all punched by the penultimate matchday, and the fifth-place playoff team was settled on the final day.
Runaway qualifying leader Brazil (1st, 45 points) was first to mathematically clinch a berth with five matches remaining, and Argentina (2nd, 39 points) followed it a few days later. The two giants have dominated the region once again and there is still a match to be played between the two (rescheduled from Sept. 2021).
Under a new head coach, Uruguay (3rd, 28 points) finished strong and moved into third place, overtaking Ecuador (4th, 26 points) which finished qualifying strong by tying Lionel Messi's Argentina. Both Uruguay and Ecuador clinched on the penultimate matchday.
And it was Peru which ultimately recovered from a tough stretch and captured the fifth-place spot which gives it a berth to the intercontinental playoff match in June against Australia or the United Arab Emirates.
Peru (5th, 24 points) finished a single point ahead of favorites Colombia (6th, 23 points), which will have four years to think about what could have been.
MORE: Which teams have qualified for the 2022 World Cup?
CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifying Standings
Updated as of Tuesday, March 29 (Note: Goal difference is first tiebreaker)
| Team | PTS | GP | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1*-Brazil (X) | 45 | 17 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 40 | 5 | +35 |
| 2*-Argentina (X) | 39 | 17 | 11 | 0 | 6 | 27 | 8 | +19 |
| 3*-Uruguay (X) | 28 | 18 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 22 | 22 | 0 |
| 4*-Ecuador (X) | 26 | 18 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 27 | 19 | +8 |
| 5*-Peru | 24 | 18 | 7 | 8 | 3 | 19 | 22 | -3 |
| 6-Colombia | 23 | 18 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 20 | 19 | +1 |
| 7-Chile | 19 | 18 | 5 | 9 | 4 | 19 | 26 | -7 |
| 8-Paraguay (E) | 16 | 18 | 3 | 8 | 7 | 12 | 26 | -14 |
| 9-Bolivia (E) | 15 | 18 | 4 | 11 | 3 | 23 | 43 | -20 |
| 10-Venezuela (E) | 10 | 18 | 3 | 14 | 1 | 14 | 34 | -20 |
PTS=Points, GP=Games Played, W=Wins, L=Losses, D=Draws, GF=Goals For, GA=Goals Allowed, GD=Goal Difference
* The top four teams earn direct berths to the 2022 World Cup. Fifth place earns a spot in a World Cup playoff.
(X = clinched World Cup berth; Y = World Cup playoff; E = Eliminated)
Upcoming CONMEBOL qualifiers schedule
Matchday 18 of 18
| Date | Home | Away | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tue, March 29 | Bolivia | Brazil | 0-4 |
| Tue, March 29 | Chile | Uruguay | 0-2 |
| Tue, March 29 | Ecuador | Argentina | 1-1 |
| Tue, March 29 | Peru | Paraguay | 2-0 |
| Tue, March 29 | Venezuela | Colombia | 0-1 |
CONMEBOL 2022 Qualifying Results
Matchday 1 of 18
| Date | Home | Away | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct. 8, 2020 | Paraguay | Peru | 2-2 | Highlights |
| Oct. 8, 2020 | Uruguay | Chile | 2-1 | Highlights |
| Oct. 8, 2020 | Argentina | Ecuador | 1-0 | Highlights |
| Oct. 9, 2020 | Colombia | Venezuela | 3-0 | Highlights |
| Oct. 9, 2020 | Brazil | Bolivia | 5-0 | Highlights |
Matchday 2 of 18
| Date | Home | Away | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct. 13, 2020 | Bolivia | Argentina | 1-2 | Highlights |
| Oct. 13, 2020 | Ecuador | Uruguay | 4-2 | Highlights |
| Oct. 13, 2020 | Venezuela | Paraguay | 0-1 | Highlights |
| Oct. 13, 2020 | Peru | Brazil | 2-4 | Highlights |
| Oct. 13, 2020 | Chile | Colombia | 2-2 | Highlights |
Matchday 3 of 18
| Date | Home | Away | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov. 12, 2020 | Bolivia | Ecuador | 2-3 | Highlights |
| Nov. 12, 2020 | Argentina | Paraguay | 1-1 | Highlights |
| Nov. 13, 2020 | Colombia | Uruguay | 0-3 | Highlights |
| Nov. 13, 2020 | Chile | Peru | 2-0 | Highlights |
| Nov. 13, 2020 | Brazil | Venezuela | 1-0 | Highlights |
Matchday 4 of 18
| Date | Home | Away | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov. 17, 2020 | Ecuador | Colombia | 6-1 | Highlights |
| Nov. 17, 2020 | Venezuela | Chile | 2-1 | Highlights |
| Nov. 17, 2020 | Paraguay | Bolivia | 2-2 | Highlights |
| Nov. 17, 2020 | Uruguay | Brazil | 0-2 | Highlights |
| Nov. 17, 2020 | Peru | Argentina | 0-2 | Highlights |
Matchday 5 of 18
| Date | Home | Away | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 3, 2021 | Bolivia | Venezuela | 3-1 | Highlights |
| June 3, 2021 | Uruguay | Paraguay | 0-0 | Highlights |
| June 3, 2021 | Argentina | Chile | 1-1 | Highlights |
| June 3, 2021 | Peru | Colombia | 0-3 | Highlights |
| June 4, 2021 | Brazil | Ecuador | 2-0 | Highlights |
Matchday 6 of 18
| Date | Home | Away | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 8, 2021 | Ecuador | Peru | 1-2 | Highlights |
| June 8, 2021 | Venezuela | Uruguay | 0-0 | Highlights |
| June 8, 2021 | Colombia | Argentina | 2-2 | Highlights |
| June 8, 2021 | Paraguay | Brazil | 0-2 | Highlights |
| June 8, 2021 | Chile | Bolivia | 1-1 | Highlights |
Matchday 7 of 18
| Date | Home | Away | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept. 2 | Bolivia | Colombia | 1-1 | Highlights |
| Sept. 2 | Ecuador | Paraguay | 2-0 | Highlights |
| Sept. 2 | Venezuela | Argentina | 1-3 | Highlights |
| Sept. 2 | Peru | Uruguay | 1-1 | Highlights |
| Sept. 2 | Chile | Brazil | 0-1 | Highlights |
Matchday 8 of 18
| Date | Home | Away | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept. 5 | Brazil | Argentina | Susp. | Highlights |
| Sept. 5 | Ecuador | Chile | 0-0 | Highlights |
| Sept. 5 | Paraguay | Colombia | 1-1 | Highlights |
| Sept. 5 | Uruguay | Bolivia | 4-2 | Highlights |
| Sept. 5 | Peru | Venezuela | 1-0 | Highlights |
Matchday 9 of 18
| Date | Home | Away | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept. 9 | Paraguay | Venezuela | 2-1 | Highlights |
| Sept. 9 | Uruguay | Ecuador | 1-0 | Highlights |
| Sept. 9 | Colombia | Chile | 3-1 | Highlights |
| Sept. 9 | Argentina | Bolivia | 3-0 | Highlights |
| Sept. 9 | Brazil | Peru | 2-0 | Highlights |
Matchday 10 of 18
| Date | Home | Away | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct. 7 | Uruguay | Colombia | 0-0 | Highlights |
| Oct. 7 | Paraguay | Argentina | 0-0 | Highlights |
| Oct. 7 | Venezuela | Brazil | 1-3 | Highlights |
| Oct. 7 | Ecuador | Bolivia | 3-0 | Highlights |
| Oct. 7 | Peru | Chile | 2-0 | Highlights |
Matchday 11 of 18
| Date | Home | Away | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct. 10 | Bolivia | Peru | 1-0 | Highlights |
| Oct. 10 | Venezuela | Ecuador | 2-1 | Highlights |
| Oct. 10 | Colombia | Brazil | 0-0 | Highlights |
| Oct. 10 | Argentina | Uruguay | 3-0 | Highlights |
| Oct. 10 | Chile | Paraguay | 2-0 | Highlights |
Matchday 12 of 18
| Date | Home | Away | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct. 14 | Bolivia | Paraguay | 4-0 | Highlights |
| Oct. 14 | Colombia | Ecuador | 0-0 | Highlights |
| Oct. 14 | Argentina | Peru | 1-0 | Highlights |
| Oct. 14 | Chile | Venezuela | 3-0 | Highlights |
| Oct. 14 | Brazil | Uruguay | 4-1 | Highlights |
Matchday 13 of 18
| Date | Home | Away | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov. 11 | Ecuador | Venezuela | 1-0 | Highlights |
| Nov. 11 | Paraguay | Chile | 0-1 | Highlights |
| Nov. 11 | Brazil | Colombia | 1-0 | Highlights |
| Nov. 11 | Peru | Bolivia | 3-0 | Highlights |
| Nov. 12 | Uruguay | Argentina | 0-1 | Highlights |
Matchday 14 of 18
| Date | Home | Away | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov. 16 | Bolivia | Uruguay | 3-0 | Highlights |
| Nov. 16 | Venezuela | Peru | 1-2 | Highlights |
| Nov. 16 | Colombia | Paraguay | 0-0 | Highlights |
| Nov. 16 | Argentina | Brazil | 0-0 | Highlights |
| Nov. 16 | Chile | Ecuador | 0-2 | Highlights |
Matchday 15 of 18
| Date | Home | Away | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan. 27 | Ecuador | Brazil | 1-1 | Highlights |
| Jan. 27 | Paraguay | Uruguay | 0-1 | Highlights |
| Jan. 27 | Chile | Argentina | 1-2 | Highlights |
| Jan. 28 | Colombia | Peru | 0-1 | Highlights |
| Jan. 28 | Venezuela | Bolivia | 4-1 | Highlights |
Matchday 16 of 18
| Date | Home | Away | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb. 1 | Bolivia | Chile | 2-3 | Highlights |
| Feb. 1 | Uruguay | Venezuela | 4-1 | Highlights |
| Feb. 1 | Argentina | Colombia | 1-0 | Highlights |
| Feb. 1 | Brazil | Paraguay | 4-0 | Highlights |
| Feb. 1 | Peru | Ecuador | 1-1 | Highlights |
Matchday 17 of 18
| Date | Home | Away | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu, March 24 | Brazil | Chile | 4-0 | Highlights |
| Thu, March 24 | Colombia | Bolivia | 3-0 | Highlights |
| Thu, March 24 | Paraguay | Ecuador | 3-1 | Highlights |
| Thu, March 24 | Uruguay | Peru | 1-0 | Highlights |
| Fri, March 25 | Argentina | Venezuela | 3-0 | Highlights |
How CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying works
It's not complicated in South America.
All 10 nations play in a round-robin format with each country playing the other nine teams at home and away (total of 18 matches). It's three points for a win, one for a draw and zero for every loss.
After 18 matches, the top four teams in the standings qualify directly to Qatar 2022, while the fifth-place team will advance to an intercontinental playoff with a ticket to Qatar on the line. For teams tied on points, the first tiebreaker is overall goal difference.